Heavily favored Lone Star Sky overcame a bumping incident on the first turn that forced him to steady and pulled away for a 2 3/4-length win over Christmas Away in the $200,000 Cradle for 2-year-olds at River Downs Monday.

Walter New's Lone Star Sky, winner of the grade III Bashford Manor Stakes July 7 at Churchill Downs, looms the favorite when he makes his first start around two turns in the $200,000 Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes Sept. 2 at River Downs.

The three races involved will begin at River Downs with the $200,000 Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes, move on to Arlington Park for the Arlington Matron (gr. III) and finally go to Del Mar for the Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II).

The costs of problem gambling could outweigh the economic benefits if Ohio's seven racetracks were permitted to install slot machines, according to a draft report by a committee studying the impact of gambling in the state.

The Ohio Senate May 30 concurred with House changes and approved a $1.17-billion budget bill that has no provisions for video lottery terminals at the state's seven racetracks. However, supporters of legislation to legalize VLTs are still confident the proposal will pass in the future.

AmericaTab, an online wagering company owned by two Ohio racetracks -- Beulah Park and River Downs -- has added Northfield Park to its stable. The northern Ohio harness track has been approved as an equity partner in AmericaTab by the Oregon Racing Commission.

Two-year-olds will be in the spotlight Labor Day weekend when River Downs presents its two top events: the $200,000 Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes Sept. 3, and the $100,000 Bassinet Stakes Sept. 1. Along with $75,000 Governor's Buckeye Cup Sept. 2, the races make up the track's Cradle Stakes Weekend Festival.

The Ohio Thoroughbred industry is in the midst of a grass-roots campaign to solicit support for a measure that would allow voters to decide whether video lottery terminals should be allowed at the state's racetracks.

The flurry of recent stakes sponsorships continued Thursday with the announcement that the $100,000 Bassinet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at River Downs will be supported by Pepsi-Cola for at least three years. Last year's Bassinet was won by Caressing, who eventually was named champion 2-year-old filly of 2000.

A citywide curfew will force bettors who live in the city to leave River Downs early. Cincinnati is dealing with violence and looting brought on by an April 7 shooting that has triggered racial conflict.

The general manager at River Downs in Ohio said more than $7 million in purse revenue generated at the racetrack has gone to other tracks in the state the past 4 1/2 years through a formula that disperses dark-day simulcasting funds.

Facing a state Supreme Court deadline of June 15 to deal with public school funding problems, Republican members of the Ohio House of Representatives apparently are behind a plan to install video lottery machines at racetracks to raise between $230 million to $930 million in revenue over the next two years.

The Ohio Lottery Commission's need for revenue to fund education has generated serious talk about video lottery terminals at the state's seven commercial racetracks. Legislators have floated the idea, and racing industry officials are attempting to find common ground.

The Ohio-based online wagering service has been approved to operate in Oregon, where other entities such as NTRA Services and US Off-Track have set up betting hubs that return a portion of revenue to the horse and Greyhound industries.